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ISSUE 18

IN THIS ISSUE

MINEWS

PIONEERWITHPLYMOUTHUNIVERSITYMARINE INSTITUTE

GLOBAL CONNECTIONS

Global marine renewable energy firm offers students a glimpse of the future

Caribbean Lobster Fisheries sustained by ‘dark carbon’

GWave tests new device in COAST laboratory

RESEARCHUncharted territory 03

Sustainable development and management of St Helena’s fisheries and marine tourism 06

Marine research links with Malaysia 07

Plymouth University involved in global eco-engineering experiment as part of the World Harbour Project

08

Endangered Species Act 09

Professor Jason Hall-Spencer commences a three year project working with Shimoda Marine Station, Japan

10

Plymouth scientist advises UN environment chiefs 10

Research posts for sustainable harvesting of seabed minerals 11

Investigating the oldest sea grasses in the world 12

Research with Plymouth University world map 14

Caribbean Lobster Fisheries sustained by ‘dark carbon’ 22

COMMERCIALISATIONGWave tests new device in COAST laboratory 04

Global marine renewable energy firm offers students a glimpse of the future 05

SUCCESSAppointment to International Scientific Advisory Board of the Chinese Academy of Science’s Institute of Oceanology in Qingdao (IOCAS)

16

Honorary Doctorate awarded by Plymouth University 17

International recognition for ocean drilling expert Prof Tony Morris 17

Professor Robert Sutton awarded an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his valuable support of the Society for Underwater Technology

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Merchant Navy Medal awarded for ‘Services to maritime training and the Nautical Institute’ 19

NEWSNew links with the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research 20

Research into the issue of sea lice infestation 20

Professor David Bilton – Hidden biodiversity 20

Less zooplankton in coral reefs under ocean acidification 21

NEWS IN BRIEF 24

UPDATES 26

IN THIS ISSUE

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2 MI NEWS Issue 18 | 2017

RESEARCH

Doctors Phil Hosegood and Kate Adams’ research trip to one of the most diverse and abundant ecosystems on the planet, the Chagos ArchipelagoFive hundred kilometers south of the Maldives, in the heart of British Indian Ocean territory, you’ll find the Chagos Archipelago.

Home to the largest ‘no-take’ Marine Protected Area in the world, spanning an area the size of France, it is famed for the pristine coral reefs that fringe the 60 or so islands and a diverse marine ecosystem, most notably the sharks and rays that provide the National Geographic glamour. However very little is known about the oceanography of the region and the reasons it supports such an abundance of marine life. So when two academics in the School of Marine Science and Engineering were presented with an opportunity through the Marine Institute to join a select group of scientists on a research trip funded by the Bertarelli Foundation and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, they were only too happy to sign up.

Phil, and Dr Kate Adams, a postdoctoral researcher who joined the University from Oregon State in October 2014, flew out in January to join 12 scientists

from a new Chagos focused research consortium represented by a range of international organisations such as the Zoological Society of London and the University of Western Australia – each researching a different scientific discipline, from acoustic mapping of zooplankton to manta ray tagging. They then departed from the United States’ military base Diego Garcia on their ‘research vessel’ – the patrol ship that monitors the area for illegal fishing.

While collecting measurements throughout the archipelago, they were especially interested in the edge of a seamount, a 100-metre deep area where previous measurements have shown huge aggregations of fish and an abundance of sharks. They deployed a range of sensors and acoustic devices to measure water currents, temperature, salinity and turbulence to identify the processes responsible for creating such a rich and abundant ecosystem over the seamount. This included a Minibat – a vehicle towed behind the boat that undulates between the surface and a programmed depth – which helped them look for evidence of periodic ‘up-wellings’ of cold, nutrient-rich water from the deep ocean onto the seamount plateau, where the sunlight might trigger photosynthesis and plankton blooms. They also used the holographic camera designed by colleague Dr Alex Nimmo-Smith to visualise zooplankton in the water, the results of which provided insight on the feeding habits of the manta rays.

Phil is now writing proposals to NERC to undertake further research in the Indian Ocean, and following the success of this expedition, the marine physics team’s capability will be part of discussions on how Plymouth University can support a long-term international programme of research in Chagos.

Ernesto Bertarelli, Chair of the Bertarelli Foundation: www.bertarelli.com/foundation

Uncharted Territory

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COMMERCIALISATION

GWave tests new device in COAST laboratoryMooring design tested in Ocean Basin wave tank

American wave energy developer GWave has tested its cutting-edge technology at the University of Plymouth ahead of a major deployment at Wave Hub in Cornwall.

Based in Portland, Maine, GWave has spent the past decade developing its Power Generation Vessel (PGV) technology, an innovative wave energy device, and is preparing to bring the first full-scale vessel across the Atlantic for installation at the Wave Hub site.

The company and its partners conducted detailed tests of the mooring system over a period of two weeks at the University’s Coastal, Ocean and Sediment Transport (COAST) laboratory in the Marine Building.

GWave has been working closely with contacts in the South West and chose Wave Hub in recognition of the strong wave resource, infrastructure, and industry experience available there. It has also worked with Falmouth-based Mojo Maritime.

GWave tests new device in COAST Laboratory


Global marine renewable energy firm offers students a glimpse of the future

“A wave developer’s pathway to commercialisation” presenters Prof Deborah Greaves, Tom Sawyer CEO Carnegie Wave Energy Ltd, Stuart Herbert, Wave Hub, Dr Daniel Conley

One of the world’s leading marine renewable energy companies has provided industry representatives, academics and students at Plymouth University with an insight into its commercial journey.Australian-based Carnegie Wave Energy (ASX: CWE) took time out from conducting an exhaustive array of tests on their CETO 6 device in the University’s Coastal, Ocean and Sediment Transport Laboratory (COAST lab) housed in our Marine Building to discuss issues around research and development, and commercialisation.

The company’s UK CEO, Tim Sawyer, and its Senior Hydrodynamics Engineer, Dr Ashkan Rafiee, also facilitated a demonstration of its cutting edge wave energy device, which differs from its competitors by operating underwater.

CWE’s tests are aimed at evaluating and informing the design of our CETO 6 technology ahead of larger scale work in open water environments. They are in the process of conducting more than 340 separate tests, putting the technology through a range of different simulated operational and extreme sea states.

Tim also kindly addressed a seminar with an audience that included members of the Partnership for Research in Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE), and masters students on Plymouth’s Marine Renewable Energy postgraduate degree, with a session entitled ‘A Wave Developer’s Pathway to Commercialisation’, in which he outlined the development of CWE.

In addition, Stuart Herbert, the Commercial Director of Wave Hub, picked up on that theme as he provided his insight into some of the key issues in the sector – and the South West’s place within it.

After further sessions were delivered by Plymouth academics Professor Deborah Greaves and Dr Daniel Conley, the CETO 6 device was introduced and demonstrated by Dr Ashkan Rafiee, in the Coastal, Ocean and Sediment Transport Laboratory (COAST) of the Marine Building.

Professor Greaves, Director of the COAST Lab was delighted to be hosting and working with Carnegie Wave Energy on such a comprehensive testing programme and discussed opportunities for further collaboration. Their visit has also enabled us to bring together industry representatives, academics and

students for discussion and exploration of key issues in the sector – and thanks to Carnegie, we have gained a valuable insight into their remarkable commercial journey.

CWE is the latest organisation to make use of the University’s COAST Lab, which provides physical model testing with combined waves, currents and wind, offered at scales appropriate for device testing, array testing, environmental modelling and coastal engineering.

Carnegie Wave Energy device undergoing tests in COAST laboratory


MI NEWS Issue 18 | 2017 5

RESEARCH

Sustainable development and management of St Helena’s fisheries and marine tourism

Dr Siân Rees recently returned from a research trip to the remote Island of St Helena in the Atlantic Ocean where she has been working with the Environment and Natural Resources Directorate of the St Helena Government to assess and value the Natural Capital that underpins St. Helena’s fisheries and tourism industries in order to identify management measures to support sustainable development. Funded though the Darwin Plus: Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund Plymouth University are part of a consortium with the St. Helena Government, Ascension Island Government, Georgia Aquarium (USA), Mote Marine Laboratory (USA) and the South Atlantic Research Institute to develop the science and the capacity to manage this unique resource.

Located in the South Atlantic Ocean, at 15° 56’ south and 5° 45’ west lies St Helena, an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. A 47 square mile island, it is one of the remotest settled islands in the world. The island is the remaining summit of an eroded volcano with a subsea shelf area of 185km2 which then slopes steeply down to the abyssal plain. St Helena’s waters are home to approximately seven hundred and eighty marine

species of which 50 are endemic to the islands waters. The waters also support globally significant marine biodiversity such as the charismatic whale shark (Rhincodon typus), listed for conservation under international agreements for protection. Flowing from this natural resource are an active pole and line fishery that serves both a local and an export market. The dominant commercial target species being the Tunas (grouped as yellowfin, bigeye and longfin), skipjack, wahoo and grouper. Also supported is the recreation and tourism economy. Visitors are drawn to the island for the natural beauty, often taking the opportunity to interact with the marine wildlife by taking wildlife tours, diving, and sea angling.

Initial findings demonstrate that first sale value of landings of fish is approximately £198k per annum (2015 values). Values associated with commercial fisheries are variable over time due to both ecological factors and market forces. Tourism (£0.8 million per annum) and recreation (£214k per annum) are currently the main growth areas with high values associated with seasonal wildlife watching trips. The most valuable recreation activities are directly associated

Diving St HelenaPhoto credit: Martin Collins

Siân Rees Summit of Flagstaff, St Helena

Whale shark (Rhincodon typus)Photo credit: Martin Collins

St Helena pufferfishPhoto credit: Martin Collins


Marine research links with MalaysiaA number of Plymouth academics went to Malaysia to take part in a British Council workshop to foster marine science links and build long-lasting research collaborations. The theme of the workshop was ‘Conservation of natural resources in coastal ecosystems for the benefit of humankind and global balance’ and ran until 29 January in Penang. Representing the University are Professor Jason Hall-Spencer and Drs Abigail McQuatters-Gollup, Antony Knights, Chukuneke Okorie, Emma Sheehan and Louise Firth. Professor Peter Burkill also attended to provide a horizon-scanning update on Indian Ocean research.

This workshop provided a forum designed to build relationships between early career researchers with overlapping interests, to promote collaboration that links the UK and Malaysia. With a focus on building links for future collaborations, participants were selected on the basis of their research potential and ability to build longer term projects.

The coordinators and other mentors acted as moderators for group discussions among participants and provided logistical advice for developing longer-term projects to continue beyond the workshop.

with wildlife interactions e.g. scuba diving and swimming with whale sharks (Rhincodon typus). Sport fishing is also a high value market but is, as yet, undeveloped on St Helena. Any declines of loss in the marine species that underpin these activities will have a direct impact on associated values. Tourism values are more indirectly associated with marine biodiversity. Positive knowledge and perceptions of the marine environment are essential to maintain these values. Negative knowledge or perceptions about the marine environment for example health scares (e.g. illness from sewerage); safety issues (e.g. collisions at sea); collapse in fish stocks affecting food supply; and visual disturbance (e.g. litter) can undermine these values.

Future avenues to further support sustainable economic growth on St Helena include: the development of Natural Capital Accounting to include the value of the physical environment e.g. the marine environment and the value of the ecosystem services e.g. recreation, fish into the national accounting balance

sheet; The implementation of performance management targets based on social-ecological indicators which can be monitored to determine if management measures are effective or not; an exploration of a system for the Payment for Ecosystem Services where annual licence fees or tourist taxes can be levied to support environmental management; and finally the development of a hub for research excellence on St Helena, making research excellence central to the broader sustainable development of the island economy is an opportunity to raise the profile of St Helena as a top class eco-tourism destination.



RESEARCH

Plymouth University involved in global eco-engineering experiment as part of the World Harbour ProjectAs coastal regions become more urbanised, artificial seawalls and rock armouring are gradually replacing natural habitats. Rocky reefs that support diverse assemblages of native flora and fauna are being lost at a rapid rate.

The proliferation of artificial structures (e.g. breakwaters & groynes, pilings and seawalls) in urban harbours (sheltered bays and estuaries) is a global problem with many regions boasting >50% artificial coastline (Firth et al. in review). These artificial habitats are often inhospitable to colonisation by displaced species and instead support communities characterised by opportunistic and non-native species.

The field of eco-engineering has blossomed in recent years with a particular focus on demonstrating how artificial structures can be modified to enhance the habitat potential and increase native biodiversity. Efforts are being made to design structures that support rather than degrade their surrounding ecosystems that incorporate multiple functions and that preserve vital ecosystem services, including the provision of habitats hospitable to native species. Researchers from Plymouth University (Dr Louise Firth, Prof. Richard Thompson, Dr Mick Hanley, Dr Ally Evans and Dr Juliette Jackson) and the Marine Biological Association (Prof. Steve Hawkins) have been at the forefront of this research, developing a range of different eco-engineering techniques for implementation in intertidal environments (e.g. Martins et al. 2010; Firth et al. 2014; Evans et al. 2016). Many members of the team were involved in the EU FP7-funded THESEUS project (www.theseusproject.eu). The team have also been responsible for initiating the first marine eco-engineering experiments in Ireland and Malaysia.

Initiated by the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS), the aim of the World Harbour Project is to link, facilitate, and enhance programs of research and management across major urban harbours of the world. The project has established a coordinated network of

research, researchers and managers, bringing global best practice in understanding and managing urban waterways to the 14 participating international partners, which include some of the world’s most iconic cities.

With partners from Abu Dhabi , Auckland, Chesapeake Bay, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Hobart, New York, Ravenna, Shanghai, Singapore, St George’s, Sydney, vigo and Qingdao, Plymouth Harbour is in the limelight. The research in Plymouth is being led and coordinated by Dr Antony Knights, a Lecturer in Marine Ecology (MSE) and Dr Louise Firth, a Lecturer in Environmental Science (GEES). Plymouth University’s role is to share the issues of harbour and to promote ongoing and develop new research to strengthen and improve harbour management solutions on a global scale.

In collaboration with partners from the World Harbour Project (www.worldharbourproject.org), the team will explore the distribution and effects of artificial structures in global harbours and investigate materials and designs for the eco-engineering of harbours. Enhancements include use of natural or “eco-friendly” materials (wood, shell, rock, reduced pH concrete), addition of structural features (rockpools, crevices & holes, ridges, grooves and textures) and seeding with native habitat-forming species (e.g. algae, bivalves and coral).

A Memorandum of Agreement was signed by Plymouth University, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and E&O Berhad. Led by Louise Firth (SoGEES) and Chee Su Yin (USM), the partnership involving Ally Evans (SoGEES), Mick Hanley (SoBS), Richard Thompson (SoMSE), Steve Hawkins (Marine Biological Association), Pippa Moore (Aberystwyth University) and Aileen Tan and Cheah


Endangered Species ActProfessor Camille Parmesan, National Marine Aquarium Chair in Public Understanding of Marine Science and Human Health, based in the Marine Institute, has worked with a group of leading conservation experts on a report aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act in the United States. Entitled Species Recovery in the United States: Increasing the Effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act. The report lists six broad strategies to increase organisations’ efficiency using the act, taking into account increasing environmental pressures and limited conservation resources.

Chee Ban (USM) has agreed to work together on a range of different eco-engineering experiments.

Penang Island is one of the fastest growing and most densely populated regions in Malaysia. To accommodate the burgeoning population, the local council are planning to construct five artificial islands and reclaim a large tract of land off the iconic Gurney Drive, Georgetown. The islands will be connected by bridge and will house 250,000 people and provide development opportunity for the retail and recreational sectors. The islands have attracted much negative criticism from locals and environmental groups alike, due to the potential negative environmental impacts. If results from the eco-engineering experiments are positive the goal is to scale up and collaborate with a range of scientists and engineers to consider large-scale approaches for the artificial islands.

Ms Kathryn O’Shaughnessy is a student in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science. She will be setting up an experiment in Plymouth Sound using tiles with different levels of complexity and seeding them with native mussels to test the effects of eco-engineering techniques in enhancing native bivalve communities and reducing non-indigenous species on artificial structures.

Dr Louise Firth

Professor Camille Parmesan

Ms Kathryn O’Shaughnessy



RESEARCH

Professor Jason Hall-Spencer is undertaking a three year research project working with Shimoda Marine Station Director Professor Kazuo Inaba to explore the local marine life and carry out research at the CO2 seeps.

This project is expected to bring high-profile publicity to the oceanic side of rising CO2 levels. It is expected that whilst many seaweeds will do well, corals and

many other organisms will not be able to tolerate the corrosive waters. The talk explained what ocean acidification is, and why it is a major environmental and economic concern for fisheries and coastal ecosystems in the NW Pacific.

The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation awarded a Daiwa Foundation Small Grant to Professor Hall-Spencer to conduct a research visit to Shimoda Marine Station in June 2015.

Dr Fletcher, a marine and coastal expert at Plymouth University, is helping to steer the world’s environment policy. He was part of the Science-Policy Forum which drew up the agenda for the UN Environment Assembly, which is meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. Dr Fletcher joined other scientists and policymakers in Nairobi for a series of forums aimed at guiding world leaders.

Earlier in the year environmentalists and fishermen clashed over the creation of 23 new Marine Conservation Zones, including several in the West Country.

Marine conservationists welcomed the move as a step towards creating a “blue belt” in the UK’s seas, but fishermen said the measures were window dressing and warned that the zones would be impossible to police.

Dr Fletcher, an internationally-renowned expert in marine and coastal policy, said governments needed to take into account livelihoods and traditional uses when they set aside protected areas.

Professor Jason Hall-Spencer commences a three year project working with Shimoda Marine Station, Japan

Plymouth scientist advises UN environment chiefs

Professor Jason Hall-Spencer presents talk on Ocean Acidification and Underwater Valcanoes in Japan

Scientists from Shimoda Marine Station


A UK company that is leading the way in the field of seabed harvesting is to fund two PhD posts at Plymouth University.

Seabed Resources Development Limited is funding two doctoral research projects in marine and earth science at Plymouth’s Marine Institute over the next four years.The partnership between the University and the company, which is a subsidiary of technology and engineering firm Lockheed Martin UK, will give two graduate students from developing countries the opportunity to become experts in a field critical to the emerging deep seabed economy.

One of the PhD posts funded under this programme will focus on seabed mapping, working alongside the University’s acclaimed scientist, Associate Professor Kerry Howell. The other course will focus on geochemistry, and the extraction of minerals, working with academics in the school of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Electron Microscopy Centre.

Seabed Resources Development Ltd secured a licence in 2013 to explore a claim site in the Pacific Ocean for polymetallic nodules containing nickel, copper, cobalt, manganese, as well as rare earth elements. This resource is likely to assume increasing importance as land-based deposits of these metals become depleted.

As authorised by the International Seabed Authority and the British Government, the company has begun the preparatory environmental and technical efforts to explore the Clarion Clipperton Zone, located in international waters between Mexico and Hawaii. In an environmentally and technologically sound manner, the company plans to collect these polymetallic nodules that contain metals used in the construction, aerospace, electronics, and alternative energy industries.

“The worldwide demand for these minerals continues to grow, for use in modern technologies such as electric cars, mobile phones and satellite communication,” said Professor Martin Attrill, Director of the Marine Institute at Plymouth University.

“The deep ocean remains a major source of these metals, with estimates running into the trillions of dollars’ worth. But the process of locating, mining and extracting them as sustainably as possible remains a major logistical hurdle.”

The PhD focused upon seabed mapping will tap into Dr Howell’s extensive experience of predicting the location of sensitive habitats, such as cold water coral reefs in the Atlantic.

The second PhD will concentrate on innovative extraction techniques, using electron microscopes at the University to peer inside the structure of deposits similar to the golf ball-sized manganese nodules found on the seabed.

Stephen Ball, Chief Executive of Seabed Resources Development Ltd and Lockheed Martin UK said:

“Harvesting minerals from the seabed will have far reaching benefits and this is an exciting opportunity for two graduate students to help us develop our knowledge and expertise and ensure we remain at the forefront of this emerging industry. We are firmly committed to the environmentally friendly extraction of nodules and look forward to partnering with Plymouth University, which has an excellent reputation for research in this area.”

Both courses will include a guaranteed place on a research trip to the Pacific as part of the arrangement.

Professor Attrill added:

“This is recognition of the wide range of expertise that we have here at Plymouth University, and the reputation of our Marine Institute and Graduate School. And in addressing themes of sustainability on a world stage, we are delighted to be playing our part.”

Research projects for sustainable harvesting of seabed minerals

Seabed Mineral



RESEARCH

Sea grasses are true flowering plants that live a completely aquatic life in near-shore, shallow-water, marine environments. Sea grass ‘meadows’ are important, near-shore ecosystems that provide shelter for a wide range of marine vertebrates and invertebrates. They are regarded as biodiversity hot-spots and often under some form of protection. When Tor Bay was a candidate Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) under the new legislation (Marine & Coastal Areas Act, 2009), we undertook an investigation of the foraminifera (single-celled protozoans with a calcareous shell) that are known to be both species-rich and numerically abundant in such environments (see Sadri et al., 2011). This work described both the diversity and seasonal variations of the foraminifera, including the spectacular abundance of living Elphidium crispum on the fronds during the summer months (Figure 1).

In the rocks of the Maastricht Chalk in Limburg (Netherlands) the foraminifera that are present appear to represent a potential sea grass habitat. As early as 1848 and 1851 the palaeontologist Debay had described what he thought were sea grass rhizomes from the Maastrichtian chalks of the Netherlands and Germany, but as these are ~70 million years old his work was almost forgotten.

More recently, Raymond van der Ham of the ‘Naturalis Biodiversity Centre’ in Leiden has described more

potential sea grass fossils from the chalk quarries of the Maastricht area (van Der Ham et al., 2007), although some researchers have suggested that these are not true sea grasses, but probably plants washed in from the surrounding land areas. More recently, John Jagt (Maastricht Museum), Sijr Renkens and Malcolm Hart (Fig. 2) have collected a large amount of foliage, roots and rhizomes from one part of the succession, all of which is now in the Natuurhistorisch Museum (Maastricht). In October, during another visit, a complete sea grass meadow with 1000s of specimens has been collected and is now being described. This occurrence, coupled with the tiny animal fossils that one would associate with a shallow-water, sea grass community, firmly identifies this as one of the earliest sea grass assemblages yet described (Hart et al., 2016).

In one part of the chalk succession some of the sea grass rhizomes have been preserved in silica and, as a result, are preserved in three dimensions (Figure 3). They show all the cell structures and, by cutting thin sections, we have been able to suggest that these plants are close to the lineage that gave rise to the modern sea grass genus Posidonia. This process of silicification must have happened very rapidly in order that the delicate plants had not been compressed by burial or become so degraded that the internal structures had been lost.

Investigating the oldest sea grasses in the world

Sea grass meadow in Millstones Bay, Tor Bay.


There are remarkably few records of fossil sea grasses, probably because near-shore marine environments are rarely preserved in the geological record. Sea grasses probably migrated from land into the marine environment during the late Cretaceous (c. 75 million years’ ago) and our finds may be one of the earliest known records. Further work on the material collected in 2015 is on-going. The site must be regarded as an important lagerstätte: a sedimentary deposit that exhibits extraordinary fossils with exceptional preservation.

Malcolm Hart Emeritus Professor of Micropalaeontology

Christopher Smart Reader in Palaeontology

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA email: [email protected]

John Jagt, Sijr Renkens and Malcolm Hart in the ENCI quarry (Maastricht) in September 2015

Silicified rhizome of a sea grass, almost identical to that described by Debay (1848, 1851) together wil cross-sections of the internal structures.

Sea grass meadow in Millstones Bay, Tor Bay.



NetherlandsInvestigations into the oldest sea

grasses in the world.

Academics explore wave processes across rocky.

Academic explores oceanic changes affecting the evolution of

foraminifera platforms.

EuropeInvited lectures.

Coastal and Marine Applied Research (CMAR) undertakes projects in coastal processes.

CanadaInvited lectures.

BahamasResearch into lobster fishery.

USAResearch into Chemical Safety with OECD.

American developer Gwave tests its cutting-edge technology in PU COAST laboratory.

St Helena Academic looks

at future avenues to further support

sustainable economic growth

on St Helena.

ChileResearch into

issues of Sea Lice.

BrazilPU plays pivitol role in research on micro-plastics in ocean environment.


MalaysiaMemorandum of agreement

signed for eco-engineering

experiments.

Academics take part in a

British Council workshop to

foster marine science links.

Japan Academic undertakes 3 year research project to explore the local marine life and carry out research at the CO2 seeps.

ChinaAppointment of Science Advisory Board of Chinese Academy – Oceanology.

AustraliaGlobal Marine Renewable

Energy firm Carnegie (CETO) Wave Energy

undergo tests in PU COAST laboratory and addresses

a seminar entitled “A Wave Developer’s Pathway to

Commercialisation”.

Solomon Islands Deep Sea mining PhD’s.

New Zealand Academics

explore wave processes across

rocky platforms.

Papa New Guinea Study into Ocean Acidification on Zoo Plankton communities.Maldives

Academics undertake research trip to one of

the most diverse and abundant ecosystems

on the planet.

KenyaAcademic

helps steer the world’s

environment policy.

South Africa Study of small temporal wetlands.

EuropeInvited lectures.

Coastal and Marine Applied Research (CMAR) undertakes projects in coastal processes.

Abu Dhabi Academics attend the naval defense and maritime security exhibition.



SUCCESS

Appointment to International Scientific Advisory Board of the Chinese Academy of Science’s Institute of Oceanology in Qingdao (IOCAS)Prof Martin Attrill (Director of the Marine Institute) has been appointed to the International Scientific Advisory Board of the Chinese Academy of Science’s Institute of Oceanology in Qingdao (IOCAS) along with directors from other major marine Institutions such as National Oceanography Centre, SCRIPPS and AIMS. The inaugural board meeting took place in a cold Qingdao in December 2015, where the board members were formally appointed and spent three days reviewing the research from the major laboratories within IOCAS and providing advice to the laboratories and the institute as a whole, with Prof Attrill particularly focusing on the Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences. It was a particular pleasure for board members to meet Prof Zheng Shouyi a

renowned marine foraminifera specialist who builds her own models and jewellery of Forams – and even has a Foraminifera Sculpture Park dedicated to her in her home town! The Board also got the chance to visit some other sites within the local region, including the location of a new campus for IOCAS and a seaweed biotechnology company.

International Scientific Advisory Board of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Oceanology in Qingdo (IOCAS)


Honorary Doctorate awarded by Plymouth UniversityThe Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization – the United Nations agency concerned with maritime safety and security and the prevention of marine pollution from ships – has been awarded an honorary doctorate from Plymouth University.

Koji Sekimizu received an Honorary Doctorate of Business at a special ceremony held at the University’s Marine Station teaching and research facility in recognition of his 40-year career in the sector.

Mr Sekimizu, from Japan, has held a number of roles at the IMO, and was elected its seventh Secretary-General in 2011. He has led the development and implementation of a significant number of international rules and regulations in relation to maritime safety, security and protection of the marine environment.

As part of the ceremony, Mr Sekimizu took a tour of the Marine Station, which was formally opened by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco in October. He then offered

International recognition for ocean drilling expertProfessor Tony Morris, of the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, has been recognised for his decade long involvement with the world’s largest and most successful international Earth Science collaborative research programme after being named an ECORD Distinguished Lecturer. Tony has been closely engaged with the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (now renamed as the International Ocean Discovery Program) and has undertaken four expeditions over the past ten years, which usually involve exhausting two-month expeditions into the middle of the ocean, drilling for samples of the earth’s

crust. Tony will represent the Earth Connections theme at a series of invited lectures at a variety of institutions in Europe and Canada.

Michelle Harris from Plymouth University is also a collaborator on the Oman Drilling Project, a multi-national collaboration to explore ancient seafloor in the deserts of Oman. Diamond coring is taking place at four sites in the southeast end of the Samail Ophiolite complex. Michelle and her PhD student will be looking at the role of hydrothermal circulation during the accretion of lower oceanic crust.

a keynote address in which he spoke about his life at the IMO, and his perspective on maritime heritage and history.

The IMO has its headquarters in London, and comprises 171 member states and three associate members. Mr Sekimuzu joined in 1989 as Technical Officer from the Ministry of Transport in Japan, and since then, has had various roles within the organisation, including heading up the Technology Section; Director of the Marine Environment Division; and Director of the Maritime Safety Division.

Among a number of honours he has received, Mr Sekimizu is an Honorary Member of the International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations, and an Honorary Member of the Master Mariners Association. He has received the Golden Anchor Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Halert C. Shepherd Award from the American Chamber of Shipping, and the Order of Maritime Merit, from France.


Professor David Coslett, Interim Vice-Chancellor and Dr Koji Sekimizu Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization – the United Nations agency


SUCCESS

Professor Robert Sutton awarded an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his valuable support of the Society for Underwater Technology

At the Annual General Meeting of the Society for Underwater Technology held at Trinity House, London, Professor Robert Sutton was awarded with a Honorary Fellowship in recognition for his valuable support to the Society. He is seen (on the right) being presented with his certificate by Dr David Kirkley, President Elect of the Society. For many years, Bob has served on its Underwater Robotics Committee, Publications Advisory Panel and Publications Committee, in addition to organizing several international conferences on unmanned underwater technology on its behalf. Currently, he is an Emeritus Professor of Control Systems Engineering at Plymouth University and works within the Autonomous Marine Systems Research Group on the design and development of navigation, guidance and control systems for unmanned marine vehicles using artificial intelligence and advanced control engineering theory. members. Mr Sekimuzu joined in 1989 as Technical Officer from the Ministry of Transport in Japan, and since then, has had various roles within the organisation, including heading up the Technology Section; Director of the Marine Environment Division; and Director of the Maritime Safety Division.

Among a number of honours he has received, Mr Sekimizu is an Honorary Member of the International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations, and an Honorary Member of the Master Mariners Association. He has received the Golden Anchor Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Halert C. Shepherd Award from the American Chamber of Shipping, and the Order of Maritime Merit, from France.

Dr David Kirkley, President Elect of the Society and Professor Robert Sutton receiving his award - Honorary Fellowship in recognition for his valuable support to the Society for Underwater Technology.


Merchant Navy Medal awarded for ‘Services to maritime training and the Nautical Institute’Paul Wright, Visiting Fellow of Plymouth University Marine Institute was presented with the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service by former First Sea Lord, Admiral the Right Honourable Lord West of Spithead at an Award Ceremony held at Trinity House, Tower Hill, London. Also present on the occasion was the Parliamentary Under Secretary and Shipping Minister Robert Goodall MP.

Paul, now a retired Associate Director of the Marine Institute and Senior Lecturer in Maritime Business having spent 35 years at Plymouth University and its predecessor organisations. During his time at Plymouth he was involved in training of seafarers and educating persons wishing to work in maritime shore-based employment.

Previous to working in maritime education Paul had spent 13 years at sea, principally with Ocean Fleets of Liverpool during which time he obtained a first degree in Maritime Studies from the University of Wales and a Certificate of Competency as Master Mariner.

“I am delighted to have received the Merchant Navy Medal. The award is a great personal honour. It recognises more than three decades of involvement I have had at Plymouth in the training, education and support to professionals who are active at sea and in related shore based activities. The award reflects not only my contribution, but also that of the many colleagues whom I have had the pleasure of working with. Sharing my interests of the sea with trainees and students has been a great privilege and very satisfying. Receiving the Merchant Navy Medal from Admiral the Right Honourable Lord West of Spithead at the prestigious Trinity House Building in London has been a career highlight of which I feel justifiably proud”.

The Merchant Navy Medal was first awarded by the shipping industry for ‘meritorious service’ in 2005 on the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. It is limited to 20 recipients per year. Last year Her Majesty the Queen signed a Royal Warrant for the Merchant Navy Medal to be awarded as a State Medal, a formal part of the national honours system.

The First Sea Lord, Admiral the Right Honourable Lord West of Spithead presenting Paul Wright with the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service



New links with the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea ResearchProfessor Malcolm Hart, Emeritus Professor of Micropalaeontology, has established links with the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (the NIOZ) to explore how oceanic changes have affected the evolution of foraminifera (marine protists that cannot be classified as animals, plants or fungi). Working alongside Dutch academics, Professor Hart’s work considers how foraminifera with one type of shell structure were at risk of extinction when the water chemistry changed through geological time. Studies on what this could mean for the future are set to continue when the team meets again at the European Geosciences Union annual meeting in Vienna in April.

Professor David Bilton Hidden biodiversity

Discovery of hidden biodiversity by a team of scientists working in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in South Africa. Professor David Bilton (pictured), leading ecologist at the University, along with colleagues from Nelson Mandela Metroplitan University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, carried out the study on small temporary wetlands along the coastal plain which showed that they support swarms of highly active water beetles.

Research into the Issue of Sea Lice InfestationPlymouth University and the Universidad de Chile are leading a new research project to investigate the issue of sea lice infestation that is costing the Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry millions of pounds in lost stock and treatment strategies. Dr Daniel Merrifield will be working with a team to study the effect that the lice have upon salmon’s skin and gut defences.

NEWS

Sea lice infestation in Salmon

Professor David Bilton


Less Zooplankton in Coral Reefs Under Ocean Acidification

In a recent study published in Nature Climate Change, researchers observed that zooplankton abundances were highly reduced in coral reefs exposed to ocean acidification. Natural CO2 seeps in coral reefs in Papua New Guinea were used as natural laboratories to study the effects of ocean acidification on entire zooplankton communities. Even species predicted to do well in future oceans under laboratory conditions were shown to be reduced under high-CO2 conditions when tested in the field. Zooplankton taxa were reduced to varying degrees, highlighting that zooplankton taxa have different sensitivities to ocean acidification. The study focused on the zooplankton that adapt their behaviour to reside directly in reefs. They live in the substratum during the day and forage in the water column at night. The loss in zooplankton abundance was partly attributable to the loss of their preferred habitat. Healthy coral reefs are diverse in coral species and coral structure, but coral reefs exposed to life-long ocean acidification conditions shifted to having less complexity and more bouldering corals. The change in structure of means there are less spaces for the zooplankton to seek shelter. Such a reduction in zooplankton will have impacts on the fish and corals that feed on them. In an ecosystem already highly vulnerable to ocean acidification, they may be even more threatened if the very basis of their food webs is diminished.

The research was led by MARES student, Joy Smith (University of Bremen and Plymouth University), and co-authored by Katharina Fabricius and Glenn De’ath from the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Claudio Richter and Astrid Cornils from the Alfred Wegener Institute, and Jason Hall-Spencer from Plymouth University.

Joy Smith, Professor Jason Hall-Spencer


Photo of zooplankton loss under ocean acidification. Sample in left from reef exposed to ocean acidification (low pH).Sample in right from healthy reef

Healthy reef. Lots of spaces for zooplankton to seek shelter

Reef impacted by ocean acidification


RESEARCH

Dr Nick Higgs, Deputy Director of the University of Plymouth’s Marine Institute

Caribbean Spiny Lobster hunting for food in a seagrass bed


New research shows importance of process known as chemosynthesis

Scientists have discovered that one of the most important fisheries in the American region is being sustained by an unusual food source – ‘dark carbon’.

A new study led by Dr Nick Higgs, Deputy Director of the University of Plymouth’s Marine Institute, has revealed how one fifth of the Caribbean spiny lobster’s food comes from a process known as chemosynthesis.

Chemosynthesis is the biological production of new organic matter using energy from chemicals in the environment rather than energy from sunlight (photosynthesis). Microbes are the only organisms capable of this alternative form of food production – also known as dark carbon fixation – but some specialised animals have formed partnerships with chemosynthetic microbes to help them obtain their food.

Lucinid clams are one such group and are particularly abundant in tropical seagrass beds, where, as the research has found, they are a major food source for the lobsters.

“The clams live deep in the sediment among dense seagrass roots, where they obtain the hydrogen sulphide needed to fuel chemosynthetic food production,” said Dr Higgs, lead author of the study published in the journal Current Biology, and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and British Ecological Society.

“But until now we did not that they were a significant source of food for the lobsters. And we still don’t know how the lobsters are finding them. Occasionally we find lobsters with these clams clamped onto their legs and then piles of dead shells outside their dens.”

Previous studies had looked at the gut contents of the lobster and had found no indication that they

feed on the clams, most likely because they do not consume the shell. But studying lobster specimens in the Bahamas, and conducting chemical analysis at the NERC research facility in East Kilbride with Dr Jason Newton, the team at Plymouth found ‘fingerprints’ of the chemosynthetic clam.

“By digging out these clams from the sediments the lobsters are tapping into an extra food source that few other animals can access,” said Dr Higgs.

“The chemosynthetic production gives an extra boost to their productivity on top of the well-known photosynthesis-based food sources.”

Chemosynthetic production is usually thought of as a deep-sea phenomenon, where it supports lush animal communities around volcanic vents and hydrocarbon seeps. Scientists have recently begun to realise that it can be important in some shallow habitats too and this is the first time that chemosynthetic primary production has been shown to be support commercial fisheries. In this case it sustains lobster production worth more than US$17 million to the Bahamas fishery alone, and potentially even more to the Caribbean region as a whole. Indications from studies in Australia and New Zealand also suggest that chemosynthetic inputs to lobster fisheries could be a global phenomenon.

Spiny lobsters grow to around one foot in length, weighing 1—3 kilos, and are believed to crush the edges of the clam’s shell before extracting the meat.

“I find it thrilling that we are still making major new discoveries about some of the most well studied and valuable species in the ocean,” added Dr Higgs.

The paper, “Caribbean Spiny Lobster Fishery is Underpinned by Trophic Subsidies.

Caribbean Lobster Fisheries sustained by ‘dark carbon’



NEWS IN BRIEF

Plymouth academic contributes to OECD global project on chemical safety assessmentThe Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development plays an important role in setting the global standards for the human health and environmental safety assessment of chemicals and nanomaterials used in our homes, hospitals and industries. On 20th September 2016, the OECD announced a new global programme to develop a predictive approach to ecotoxicology and chemical safety assessment. This approach considers impacts of chemicals and nanomaterials across all levels of biology, from cells to individuals through to populations, and is termed the ‘Adverse Outcome Pathways’ approach. At Plymouth, Tom Hutchinson, Professor of Environment and Health Sciences in the School of Biological Sciences is one of the scientists contributing to the Adverse Outcome Pathways project, coordinating the research data assessment for oestrogen mimicking chemicals and other kinds of environmental endocrine disrupters. This exciting new OECD project also involves close cooperation between Professor Hutchinson and scientists at the U.S Environmental Protection Agency and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in Italy.

Prof Steve Hill awarded RSC Theobold Lectureship

Professor Steve Hill, Associate Dean (International) has been awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry L S Theobold Lectureship. The Lectureship is awarded to someone who has made a significant contribution to analytical chemistry in an area relevant to work of the Royal Society of Chemistry Analytical Methods Committee. Steve, who is based in SoGEES, was awarded the Lectureship for his work on metal speciation and developments in analytical atomic spectroscopy. He presented his lecture entitled ‘Arsenic, food and DNA – is there a link?’ at the 18th Biennial National Atomic Spectroscopy Symposium (BNASS) in Liverpool.

Prof Greorgy Shapiro and Prof Martin Attrill attended the naval defence and maritime security exhibition (NAVDEX) in Abu Dhabi earlier this month, the leading event of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa. Prof Shapiro was presented with a ‘golden ship’ award by Brigadier Mohammed (pictured) in recognition of his ocean forecasting work for the UAE. Prof Shapiro leads the university’s Ocean Forecasting Centre.

The Plymouth Ocean Forecasting Centre (POFC) has also been awarded a £100,000 grant from the British Council for marine research in the Middle East. The project, ‘Physical mechanisms which control water budget and sea level in the Dead Sea’ will be led by the head of POFC, Professor Georgy Shapiro. It will investigate why the level of the Dead Sea is dropping so quickly and will forecast likely changes in the future. The work will be delivered in partnership with Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, The National Institute of Oceanography and the University of Jordan. The British Council’s STREAM Trilateral Research Programme supports trilateral partnerships between the UK, Israel and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa region. The programme aims to develop scientific collaboration and increase the uptake of environmental research and sustainable technology in some of the world’s most water poor societies.

Professor Steve Hill

Professor Tom Hutchinson

Professor Georgy Shapiro


PU plays a Pivotal Role in resarch on micro-plastics in our oceansAn independent analysis by Brazilian researchers has shown that Plymouth University has played a pivotal role in research on micro-plastics in the ocean environment. The authors write that “the University of Plymouth was, in the past decade, the flagship within the network, having a strong correlation with 30 other research institutes”. Read more about our research on plastics in the ocean at www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/leading-scientists-express-rising-concern-over-microplastics-in-the-ocean

Plymouth University and the Universidad de Chile are leading a new research project to investigate the issue of sea lice infestation that is costing the Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry millions of pounds in lost stock and treatment strategies. Dr Daniel Merrifield will be working with a team to study the effect that the lice have upon salmon’s skin and gut defences. See more information at: www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/research-launched-into-impact-of-sea-lice-upon-salmon-fisheries

Acidification of the world’s oceans could drive a cascading loss of biodiversity in some marine habitats, according to research published in Nature Climate Change by an international team of experts including Prof Jason Hall-Spencer. The new work predicts how acidification will affect the living habitats, such as corals, seagrasses, and kelp forests, that form homes for other ocean species.

Consultancy group ends first year of operation with work in UK, Europe and beyondA new marine consultancy group based at Plymouth University has completed a successful first year of operation, undertaking projects across Europe. The Coastal and Marine Applied Research (CMAR) group brings together academics from multiple research groups to address demand from government and industry for expertise in coastal processes.

EPSRC grant award- Waves Across Shore Platforms (WASP) Project

Plymouth University was awarded a two-year multi-agency grant of £340,000 by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The grant funds an international project working with Bangor University (Wales),

University of Auckland (New Zealand) and Deltares research Institute (Holland) exploring wave processes across rocky platforms.

The WASP project aims to capture a unique dataset of detailed wave measurements across a range of rocky platforms around the UK coastline. Using the latest wave sensors, digital video and laser scanners the project will map the decay in wave energy across intertidal rocky platforms. These measurements will be used to improve existing models which aim to provide a predictive tool for examining wave energy reaching our coastline which can cause erosion and cliff falls.

The research group have established a strong international reputation for research in coastal hydro- and sediment dynamics, and, in particular, in conducting field-based research, complemented by numerical modelling. An impressive and well-maintained coastal research instrumentation suite is available to the project, which includes for this project a variety of state-of-the-art hydrodynamic sensors and beach survey equipment totalling £200k, supported by expert technicians with over 15 years experience in designing and deploying such instrumentation.


Professor Richard Thompson

CMAR group carrying out beach surveys

Impact of sea lice upon salmon fisheries

WASP project using wave sensors, digital video and laser scanners


UPDATES

Marine Institutes Exhibition calendar for 2017Ocean Business

4th – 6th April 2017 NOC, Southampton

Plymouth University Marine Institute exhibited on stand no N9 at Ocean Business an international exhibition presenting cutting-edge technologies from over 350 companies.

South West Marine Ecosystems Conference

21st April 2017 Sherwell Centre, Plymouth University

The South West Marine Ecosystems (SWME) conference is a forum for networking and discussions on the marine environment in the South West took place at Plymouth University.

The Transat is set to return to Plymouth in 2017, with a star-studied line of up ocean racers and adventurers all looking to join the annuals of history. The 14th edition will set sail on 2 May, when the fleet will leave Plymouth breakwater to race 3,000 miles to Brooklyn in New York.

www.plymouth.ac.uk/whats-on/the-transat-2016

Plymouth Barbican


FROM THE EDITOR

Thank you to all who have contributed to Issue 18.

Please provide all your news articles, success stories and innovative collaborations to the following email address: [email protected] titled ‘MINEWS’. Our next issue will go to print around XXXXXX. We also welcome details of your future Events for 2018.

Thank you. Jo Byrne, Senior Project Officer, Marine Institute – Newsletter Editor



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